by Bob Tuzik, January 1, 2005 Any problem affecting the New York City Transit is by default a big problem. The process of transporting more than four million passengers per day in 6,000 vehicles on more than 700 miles of elevated, underground at-grade mainline tracks, on a system that operates 24 hours …
by Bob Tuzik February 1, 2005 There are two primary approaches to friction management on rail transit systems: onboard and wayside. The most effective method depends upon the demands of the system. A relatively small system with consistent degrees of curvature, for example, might lend itself to onboard application. A system with …
by Bob Tuzik, January 1, 2005 When NYCTA wanted a new fastener that was 35% “softer” than the softest DF fastener it had in use, a fastener that would not raise the track by more than 1-1/8 inches (30 mm), Dynamic Engineering designed the APT-BF system. The APT-BF fastener incorporates two elastic …
by Bob Tuzik, December 1, 2004 Investigations have shown that wheel-flange/gauge-face angle and the coefficient of friction (COF) play significant roles in contributing to or preventing flange-climb derailments. Investigations have also shown that Light Rail Vehicles with Independently Rotating Wheels (IRWs) have a greater propensity for flange-climb derailment than vehicles with conventional …
by Bob Tuzik, December 1, 2004 As part of its effort to monitor dynamic vehicle/track interaction on the Northeast Corridor, Amtrak commissioned ENSCO, Inc., to develop a Wayside Train/Track Interaction Detection System. The goal was to measure and collect information on vehicle/track forces that would enable Amtrak to determine the causes of …
By Bob Tuzik • November 4, 2004 If the first unwritten rule in optimizing the wheel/rail interface on rail transit is: Know your system; the second rule should be: Recognize that the w/r interface is a system. “No single department can attack the issues in isolation and expect to get very far,” Joseph Oriolo, Senior …
by Eric E. Magel • September 20, 2004 Wheel wear is an inevitable byproduct of wheel/rail interaction. Excessive wear, however, indicates an imbalance in some aspect of the wheel/rail interface. Amtrak’s high-speed Acela trains, running on track with much greater curvature than other high-speed systems, were quickly found to exhibit very …
By Jeff Tuzik • July 2010 Wheel/rail interaction is complex, variable and difficult to manage — especially on rail transit systems where noise, vibration and ride quality present daily challenges. As a result, managing the wheel/rail interface requires constant attention and innovation. Speakers at Advanced Rail Management’s Rail Transit 2010 …